iPhone 11 Pro Outlasts iPhone 12 and 12 Pro in Extensive Battery Life Test

by

Arun Maini today shared a new side-by-side iPhone battery life video test on his YouTube channel Mrwhosetheboss, timing how long the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models last on a single charge compared to older models, with equal brightness, settings, battery health, and usage. All of the devices are running iOS 14 without a SIM card inserted.


In the test, the iPhone 11 Pro outlasted both the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, despite being a smaller 5.8-inch device. When the iPhone 12 Pro ran out of battery, the iPhone 11 Pro still had 18% battery life remaining, and when the iPhone 12 powered off, the iPhone 11 Pro still had 14% battery life remaining.

The final rankings ended up as follows:

  • iPhone 11 Pro Max: 8 hours and 29 minutes
  • iPhone 11 Pro: 7 hours and 36 minutes
  • iPhone 12: 6 hours and 41 minutes
  • iPhone 12 Pro: 6 hours and 35 minutes
  • iPhone 11: 5 hours and 8 minutes
  • iPhone XR: 4 hours and 31 minutes
  • iPhone SE (2020): 3 hours and 59 minutes

These rankings are of course missing the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro mini, which will be available to pre-order starting November 6.

Teardowns and regulatory filings have revealed that the entire iPhone 12 lineup features slightly lower battery capacities. iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models share a 2,815 mAh battery, for example, while the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro are equipped with 3,110 mAh and 3,046 mAh batteries, respectively.

While the more power efficient A14 Bionic chip in Apple's latest iPhones helps to offset the lower battery capacities, this test shows that the iPhone 11 Pro still lasts longer than the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro under heavy, continuous usage.

Apple's tech specs indicate that the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro provide up to 17 hours of video playback, compared to up to 18 hours on the iPhone 11 Pro, so Apple does acknowledge that the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro have slightly less battery life.

It will be interesting to see a real-world battery life test for the iPhone 12 Pro Max, as Apple's tech specs suggest that the device has equal battery life as the iPhone 11 Pro Max, at least based on its own metrics. Apple lists both devices as providing up to 20 hours of video playback and up to 80 hours of audio playback.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Read Full Article • 103 comments
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

10 Products Still Coming From Apple in 2025

Friday April 11, 2025 4:14 pm PDT by
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then. We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
Read Full Article • 52 comments
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Report Reveals Internal Chaos Behind Apple's Siri Failure

Thursday April 10, 2025 7:15 am PDT by
A new report from The Information today reveals much of the internal turmoil behind Apple Intelligence's revamped version of Siri. Apple apparently weighed up multiple options for the backend of Apple Intelligence. One initial idea was to build both small and large language models, dubbed "Mini Mouse" and "Mighty Mouse," to run locally on iPhones and in the cloud, respectively. Siri's...
Read Full Article • 343 comments
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Waiting for the Perfect MacBook Pro? 2026 Might Be the Year

Thursday April 10, 2025 4:19 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the MacBook Pro is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small...
Read Full Article • 113 comments
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: New iOS 19, iPhone 17, and Apple Watch Ultra 3 Leaks

Friday April 11, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we catch up on the latest iOS 19 and watchOS 12 rumors, upcoming devices, and more. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Detailed new renders from leaker Jon Prosser claim to provide the best look yet at the complete redesign rumored to arrive in iOS 19, showing more rounded elements, lighting effects, translucency, and...
Read Full Article • 14 comments
iPad Pro iPadOS

iPadOS 19 Will Be 'More Like macOS' in Three Ways

Sunday April 13, 2025 6:43 am PDT by
A common complaint about the iPad Pro is that the iPadOS software platform fails to fully take advantage of the device's powerful hardware. That could soon change. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS." Gurman said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like a Mac" in three ways:Improved productivity Improved multitasking Improved app window management...
Read Full Article • 153 comments
apple intelligence black

NYT: Apple's AI Struggles Began with 2023 Chip Budget Dispute

Friday April 11, 2025 4:33 am PDT by
Apple's current struggles with Apple Intelligence and Siri began in early 2023 when AI head John Giannandrea sought approval from CEO Tim Cook to purchase more AI chips for development, according to a new report from The New York Times. Cook initially approved doubling the team's chip budget, but CFO Luca Maestri reportedly reduced the increase to less than half that amount, and instead...
Read Full Article • 114 comments
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple Plans to Release Delayed Apple Intelligence ‌Siri‌ Features This Fall

Friday April 11, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
Apple plans to release its delayed Apple Intelligence Siri features in the fall, according to a new report by The New York Times. In early March, Apple said that it was going to take longer than expected to roll out the more personalized ‌Siri‌ experience, and that these features would be rolled out "in the coming year." Subsequently, Reuters reported that the ‌Apple Intelligence‌...
Read Full Article • 195 comments
iPhone 16e Feature

iPhones, Macs, and Other Apple Devices Exempted From Trump Tariffs

Saturday April 12, 2025 9:44 am PDT by
Apple and other electronics manufacturers have received a break from Trump's reciprocal tariffs, with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency sharing a long list of products excluded from the levies last night. iPhones, Macs, iPads, Apple Watch, and other Apple devices will not be subject to the 125 percent tariffs that have been put in place on imported Chinese goods, nor will Apple...
Read Full Article • 424 comments

Top Rated Comments

PlainviewX Avatar
PlainviewX
58 months ago
Who would have thought that having a smaller battery in a phone that has more features/processes would result in less battery life?

[MEDIA=giphy]10C8dIIpCux0ru[/MEDIA]
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Amazing Iceman Avatar
Amazing Iceman
58 months ago
if it wasn’t for Apple’s obsession to make it thinner and thinner, we would now have a more lasting battery
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
az431 Avatar
az431
58 months ago
A lot of shocking news lately!!!!!


* AniPhone charges slower via 15-watt inductive charging than via a 20-watt wired charger.
* AniPhone with a smaller battery, faster processor, and larger display has shorter run time
* An iPhone with smaller internal volume and additional components has a smaller battery than a phone with larger internal volume and fewer components.
* The faster 5G cellular chipset consumes 20% more battery than the slower 4G chipset


This is all just NUTS!

It's like buying a car with a larger engine and getting worse fuel economy!
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
dannyyankou
58 months ago


* iPhone 11 Pro Max: 8 hours and 29 minutes
* iPhone 11 Pro: 7 hours and 36 minutes
* iPhone 12: 6 hours and 41 minutes
* iPhone 12 Pro: 6 hours and 35 minutes

Yikes, that’s a huge difference. And the phones are on WIFI so it’s not even 5G related. I’m curious to see how the 12 Pro Max does.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kylelerner Avatar
kylelerner
58 months ago
Not that anyone cares, but I was disappointedly, largely unimpressed with the new iPhones this year. The MagSafe cases are flimsy per MKBHD’s testing, I couldn’t care less about 5G or LiDAR, and the differences in the new form factor will be covered by a case.

I know “then don’t buy one,” or “why even comment,” well, fair point, but - seeing this battery test just makes it even more disappointing.

I wish we would’ve seen a smaller notch and a higher display refresh rate.

just my $0.02
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DotCom2 Avatar
DotCom2
58 months ago
This might influence buyers coming from 11's but for those like me who have XS Max or older, this will still be a welcome increase in battery life. My XS Max currently is at 91% battery health. Can't wait to get my 12 Pro Max!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments